Rethinking the Nature of Fascism: Comparative Perspectives

Revisiting the major themes of research into, and interpretation of, the nature of fascism that have been developed over the past few decades, some of the foremost experts in the study of European fascism have united in this volume to provide a contemporary analysis of the theories and historiography of fascism. During the past twenty years the comparative study of fascism has moved from a 'sociological' to a more 'political' perspective, giving both ideology and culture much more importance than was previously the case. On the other hand, this area has become more restricted in disciplinary terms, with historians clearly dominating over sociologists and political scientists. This book asks about the most recent debates on the subject and how the changes that have taken place in the social sciences over the past forty years have impacted on the study of fascism.

Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations Foreword; S.G.Payne Acknowledgements Notes on Contributors Introduction: Fascism and the other '-isms'; A.Costa Pinto PART I: FASCISM AND THE SOCIAL SCIENCES Decomposition and Recomposition of Theories: How to Arrive at Useful Ideas Explaining Fascism; S.U.Larsen Desperately Seeking a 'Generic Fascism': Some Discordant Thoughts on the Academic Recycling of Indigenous Categories; M.Dobry Fascism and Culture: A Mosse-Centric Meta-Narrative of how Fascist Studies Reinvented the Wheel; R.Griffin PART II: NEW APPROACHES Theories of Fascism: A Critique from the Perspective of Women's and Gender History; K.Passmore Fascism and Religion; J.Pollard Ideology, Propaganda, Violence and the Rise of Fascism; R.Eatwell Political Violence and Institutional Crisis in Interwar Southern Europe; G.Albanese Ruling Elites, Political Institutions and Decision-Making in Fascist-Era Dictatorships: Comparative Perspectives; A.Costa Pinto Fascism, 'Licence' and Genocide: from the Chimera of Rebirth to the Authorization of Mass Murder; A.Kallis Concluding Remarks; A.Lyttelton Index

About the Author :
ANTONIO COSTA PINTO is a Professor of Politics and Contemporary European History at the Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon, Portugal. His research interests include fascism, authoritarianism, democratization and political elites. He is the author of The Blue Shirts: Portuguese Fascism in Inter-war Europe (2000), Charisma and Fascism in Inter-war Europe (2007), and Ruling Elites and Decision-making in Fascist-era Dictatorships (2009).